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THE PARADE |
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The parade had started well over an hour ago and a lot of people were milling about in front of her green iron gate. The noise and the heat of the day had become increasingly oppressive, and the apartment felt more and more inviting.
It was just a tiny apartment, enough space for a small bedroom, a kitchenette; the remaining area served as a living room/dining room. It was cooler inside, but she dreaded going in. So, she stayed seated on a white plastic chair, leaning against the whitewashed walls.
The next group of people, wearing red shirts and blue jeans, began walking past her line of vision. Two women led, holding up a large white banner with red letters proclaiming "Department of Environment and Natural Resources". Why in heaven's name are they all in red? Karen thought with a touch of amusement. Shouldn't they be wearing green instead?
The line of people was a lot longer than most of the others and took a while to finish passing. She had been getting bored. Next, the band from a nearby school began streaming in with their instruments, playing upbeat songs. Startled, she realized the kids were playing some new dance tunes that she had been hearing the past few days in the radio.
Ding!
Karen jumped, her heart in her throat. It was just the small microwave that they had, telling her that it had just finished reheating the roasted chicken that she bought an hour ago. She hurried inside to the kitchenette and turned the microwave off. Taking a platter out of the cabinet, she laid the chicken carefully in the center, garnishing the sides with lettuce and tomatoes.
It was perfectly golden, the aroma of spice and herbs clouding her nostrils temptingly. She glanced at the cheap round clock on the wall. 11:55 am. Just about right, she thought with a smile.
Deftly, she smoothed the wrinkles out of the tablecloth and placed the platter in the middle. She remembered how intently pathetic the old wooden table had looked when they first moved in. She had wanted to throw it out and buy a new one.
"We don't need a new one, honey. After all, we're not here to use it most of the time anyway." He had told her in that reasonable tone she knew so well.
Of course, she had swallowed that flash of anger and told him that he was right, what had she been thinking of. Instead of a new table, she bought a reasonably priced linen cloth and covered it up nicely.
But, she knew what she had been thinking of. A little bit of normalcy perhaps.
Karen laid out the expensive china. The ones her mother used when "Very Important Guests" came to visit her. She had borrowed them and promised to return them the very next day. As usual, she had avoided the concerned looks and fended off the hesitant attempts at conversation.
"There." she spoke aloud, satisfied that the table looked nice. The single red rose in a blue flute vase made it even look elegant. One could almost ignore the faded wallpaper and the bareness of the rooms.
Determinedly, she avoided looking at the wall clock again. Karen had promised herself this time to not watch the minutes move along like an old man with a bad leg. God knows it made her feel harassed enough. Today was supposed to be a special day and she refused to ruin it over something petty. She had already expected him to be late.
So, she went back to the window instead. The floats had begun to appear. All of them seem to have young and skinny girls waving that silly wave to the crowd, their pretty made-up faces screwed into well-practiced smiles. One girl burst into genuine laughter when a boy beside her at the orchid float whispered something into her ear. Karen felt happy for them, preferring to think of them as a real couple. Not just as paid faces for the pleasure of this crowd.
A muffled ringing took her away from her daydreaming. Karen reached for her purse perched on the plastic chair next to the table, and took out the grey streamlined mobile phone.
"Hello?"
"Karen, its me honey."
Her lips involuntarily curved into a pleasant smile. "You're stuck in traffic, I know."
"No-uh-" He hesitated and Karen felt herself getting cold. "Honey, I can't make it. Cherry and the kids.. well, they wanted to see the parade..."
The last of the floats drifted away from the window. A group of young boys with yellow helmets and fluorescent green knee and elbow pads came careening along on their skateboards. She wondered idly why the parade seemed a little incoherent. As if the performers were just bunched one after the other on the spur of the moment.
"I thought the parade would've been done by now. I'm so sorry, honey."
She gulped in some air, fingers raking frustratedly against her dark hair. "You promised me Paul"
"I know." The irritation was in his voice. "Look, we already talked about this, remember. Sometimes, I just can't keep all my promises."
Karen bit her lip. "Fine. I can hold lunch for another hour."
She could hear the discomfort in his voice. "Uh, the kids wanted to go to McDonalds and then watch a movie. It's a holiday for them too, and we don't get out much as a family."
The sudden burst of anger nearly took her breath away. And what about me? Am I not important too? But she bit it back, knowing how pointless arguing would be.
"All right, Paul, I-I'll see you when you get a free moment."
The sigh of relief was audible through the line. "Thank you, honey. You know I love you."
She smiled bitterly, watching a skateboarder take a spill. Not a bad one, but he held on to his right knee as he slowly stood up.
"I love you, too."
"Happy Birthday, baby."
Why was it that tears always had a bad habit of falling during these times? "Thank you" she murmured without a crack in her voice.
"I gotta go, Karen."
She nodded, forgetting he cannot see her. "Ok Paul. Have a good day..."
After what seemed a long time, Karen finally roused herself from staring at the golden chicken. Mechanically, she stood up and took a plastic wrap from the cabinet above the kitchenette sink. Outside, the excitement of the parade seemed to be winding down. People had begun moving on instead of just standing at the kerbsides.
She finished cleaning up quickly, preferring to concentrate on her work rather than watching the way her face reflected in the mirror on the wall. After so many months, she had gone through all the reasons why she should not stay. Perhaps, it was time to see the faded wallpaper and the cracked edges of the glass windows.
The midday sun hurt her eyes when she went out to lock the door behind her. As she passed through the gate, the small key fell from her hand. It caught the iron grates of a drainage ditch. The sound felt unnaturally loud but, strangely, without an echo.
Karen kept on walking. |
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